Cialis (tadalafil): Is it doing any good & how long to take it?

Side-benefit: My blood pressure is lower with 5mg Tadalafil (Cialis).

But with higher dosages I might get a mild headache. A little lightheaded too.

My husband was prescribed 5 mg Cialis couple of mos before surgery and 20 mg after for rehabilitation. We never asked for "how long" since it is really helping with blood flow in that area (visibly) and it also solved blood pressure issue for my husband - BP is now ideal 😎👍. He has 2 problems solved with one pill a day and he is happy with that. Penile health is important regardless of sex , one has to prevent atrophy which can effect continence also. Pump can be helpful and it is advisable to use it - also promotes blood flow and elongation of urethra but has to be used very soon after surgery to prevent scar tissue formation and shortening. My husband is not using it regularly since Cilais is doing a good job. Maybe it is not causing full effect but it is "effecting it" enough for rehabilitation. In his case Cialis is really very helpful and he intends to be on it as long as needed.

PS: Peter, if you decide to use pump, start slowly and never to the point that is causes any kind of pain or discomfort. You do not need to "inflate" to the max to have positive effect. The idea is to do gentle stretching of the tissue and at the same time improving a blood-flow. Do not go above what your normal erection looked like. Our understanding is that you basically pump it, keep it pumped for short time (couple of minutes), "deflate", than pump again, deflate - about 3 times so fresh blood "comes and goes". Rehab is different than using a pump for sustained erection for intercourse. There are also some good youtube instructions.

@surftohealth88 Thanks for that. I keep forgetting to use it. It's still strange getting used to the "new normal". I sometimes forget I have the AUS pump, too. This damn cancer has changed our lives & routines so much.

I am just writing a general response to what seemingly is the majority of comments: I too do not notice anything beneficial to taking my daily 5 mg tadalafil. My doctor also said it is to help with blood flow and healing. He did not mention anything about fibrosis/scarring prevention. Either way, I have not noticed anything sexually. I am 6-months post-RP and can't get an erection AT ALL. I have my 6-month follow up appointment next week and will ask my doctor "what the heck...when will I get and maintain an erection?" I am 70 years old and was quite capable of sustained erection and sex prior to the RP surgery. I am now divorced...God's cruel joke, just when I was looking forward to starting an active dating life and sex with some partner(s), I am dead in the water. I have not started dating as a result...it would be too humiliating to say: "um...ya...so...I have ED...I can't get an erection." One thing NONE of us really know either is whether our urologist "really" did "preserve the neurovasscular bundles" as read in our surgical pathology reports. Who the heck can ever "check on that" to prove it? The urologist could have accidentally damaged/severed the neurovasscular bundles and we'd never know. There is no test for it, other than whether we can get an erection or not, and I have heard that some men just never become capable of it after surgery even with the neurovasscular bundles supposedly preserved. Frustrating.

@surftohealth88 That information about using the pump for rehab and not just intercourse is really helpful! I am recovering with a care team from a nationally recognized cancer center and no one ever mentioned anything like this. Thank God for this forum.

May I ask where or who you consult to get such solid advice? I want to be sure that my recovery/rehab is as productive as can be. Thanks!

@peterj116

I am 4 months out from prostate removal, taking 5 mg tadalafil daily and I use my pump a few times a week for masturbation. I was worried about "over inflating but I can certainly feel when I am reaching my "ideal", and the tautness of your penis will be your best guide.

At 3 months or so, I started getting a chubby occasionally during the day, and it would feel like I had something close to a full hard-on similar to pre-surgery, but upon investigating there would be more smoke than fire, so to speak. I am still waiting for the day when I get wood with no pump usage, but my understanding is that it will take at least a few months more. I can report that occasionally seeing an attractive woman will stir the pot and I can feel some attempt at firing in the piston, so progress!

57, healthy and healthy sex life before surgery, now working out as often and vigorously as I like, just trying to round back into shape.

@fiskadoro Thanks for that. I left everything quite late & only recently got the pump, 12 months post-RP.
Hopefully things will get back to normal - or as normal as they'll get.
Neither of my surgeons said a word about penile rehabilitation.

@fiskadoro

I am glad I was able to help :).

I read about that method and also found this video :

@surftohealth88 That was helpful. Thankyou.
But of course, YouTube won't show it actually being used.
You know who will?
Pornhub. Surprisingly educational on the subject.
Some of it's not, so you have to sift through the rubbish, but some showing a pump being used properly is fairly helpful.
Who knows... they might also show guys actually using the artificial urinary sphincter pump.
I have no problems using it, but it sure was difficult finding an actual video instead of an animation, when I wanted to know what it looks like in use.

@peterj116
Glad it was helpful 😊
Somehow to me this video was very clear in explanation 🤷‍♀️.
I never went on "those other" sites lol, nor I plan to and neither did my husband lol , so this video was all that he needed. Also, he bought his pump in a pharmacy who had great owner that explained pump in every detail and even demonstrated it working on a finger. I guess living near city as is SF has its advantages 😆 and those pumps are considered "everyday" medical devices.
This pharmacist was amazing in general - he gave my husband a "doctor's notice" with phone number that can be reached if airport security ever asks about a "device" and give him any trouble.

Regarding incontinence device - I agree, they can at least make silicon replica and show how it works on video tutorial OR have it in doctor's office and demonstrate it on a 3-D model. Strange indeed ...